The Family History
by Hyde-chan
Summary: Rukia is bored and decides to sift through Ichigo's closet and look what she finds! An old family photo album! But, what's this? Ichigo's family history is a lot more complicated than anyone could have imagined... Warnings: slight OOCness, slight AU, implied Kenshin/Karou, possible Ichi/Ruki
1. Discovery

A/N: I'm very happy if you managed to stumble upon this and will love you even more if you leave a review for me. This can easily be read by someone who hasn't read Rurouni Kenshin because I'm planning to explain everything in the story. Also, Karou's dojo is in Tokyo but I decided since this will be a mostly Bleach fic I would move the dojo to Karakura town instead of the Bleach Plot to Tokyo. This is my first fanfic so please be kind!

Translation: Itte - ouch, Shinigami - Soul Reaper, Fuka-taicho - Vice Captain

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, it bleongs to Wakisashi-san or Bleach, which belongs to Kubo-san.

Readers are reading this at their own discretion and it isn't my fault if you are insulted by any of the following opinions (though there really is nothing truly offensive in here)

On to the show...

Ichigo put Zangetsu against his back and felt the wrappings encircle around the large blade. He had just finished sparring with Renji in Urahara's basement. After regaining his powers the Substitute Shinigami had taken the opportunity and had asked the Pineapple to help him figure out if he had gotten rusty with the sword.

"Geez, Ichigo, I don't know what you were thinking saying you might be rusty," Renji panted slightly, "Damn, are you sure you don't have more experience in Kenjutsu?" Ichigo smirked slightly; the fuka-taicho had no idea.

"Just what they had us do for gym. I never had much of an interest in it before becoming a Shinigami," Ichigo knew he was lying, but he didn't want them to know, he didn't want the Shinigami to treat him differently.

"Oi, Ichigo!" Rukia called out, "Go take a shower, you wreak." Ichigo laughed and ruffled her ebony hair only to get a smack to the head.

"Itte. I was just playin'. No need to be so rude," Ichigo grunted while Rukia just glared at him in response. Sighing, the orange-haired teen headed up the ladder to change and go home.

Ichigo was working on his homework as Rukia rummaged through his closet. The Chappy otaku had gotten the habit of looking for personal, or embarrassing, things of Ichigo's whenever she was bored. There was currently a small pile of junk next to the fuka-taicho as she delved further into the large closet.

"Hey, Ichigo, what's this?" Rukia asked from the closet. The Substitute Shinigami looked up to see the midget holding a worn, leather photo album. Ichigo was surprised, when Rukia had decided to stay in his closet he had made sure to take out any private things he didn't want the Shinigami to see but apparently he had missed the photo album.

Ichigo put down his textbook and tried to remain calm, "It's a photo album, what else would it be? Now hand it over, it's not for your eyes." _I can't have Rukia see that, she made find out if she looks closely enough._

"Hm, uh, no. I wanna' see the pictures, " Rukia suddenly got a large grin worthy of Gin, "Maybe there are some embarrassing photos of you in here?" She quickly sprinted to the bathroom and locked the door behind her when Ichigo made a grab for the book.

Rukia took a deep breath and sat on the lid of the toilet. She didn't understand why Ichigo had been so desperate to get the book away from her but she knew it had to be good. The photo album itself was old and appeared to have gone through a lot over the years. The leather was dry and cracking on the edges proving just how old it was.

Rukia lifted the cover and saw the front page was a piece of yellowed paper with elegant calligraphy on it saying 'Kamiya Family History'. _Odd, who are the Kamiyas? Are the Ichigo's mother's family?_ The ebony haired Shinigami leafed through the first few pages seeing that they only held writing, presumably about the family. She stopped though when an old black and white photo caught her eye.

The photo showed a young man and woman posing together. It had obviously been taken a long time ago; the man was wearing a loose kimono with white hakama over it, hanging at his side was a sheathed katana, Rukia was unsure though if it was for show or fight. He had long, light colored hair pulled into a low ponytail but probably was his most distinctive feature was a cross shaped scar on his right cheek.

The woman was sitting in a wooden chair with her hands folded in her lap. She had on an elegant outer kimono with a traditional floral pattern and her dark hair was tied akin to a Samurai's with a large ribbon. Both seemed to be kind people, the sort that easily left a good impression behind. _A bit like Ichigo, actually_. The picture was labeled neatly underneath with, 'Kenshin and Karou's Wedding Day'. Rukia smiled, it seemed liked the young pair suited each other quite well.

Rukia quickly decided to flip to the back to look at the more recent pictures, and hopefully see some of when Ichigo was little. Despite having turned to the last page Rukia found it to be blank. _Oh yeah, Ichigo's mother died when he was nine so this probably stopped before she died_. The midget quickly flipped a few pages back to stop at a newer, colored photo.

This one showed a smiling orange-headed boy standing in front of an old, in style and age, building. Rukia recognized the boy as Ichigo but not the building he was posing in front of and looked at the caption for help. 'Ichigo at the family dojo', Rukia's eyes widened in disbelief. _What? Ichigo's family has a dojo?_ Rukia looked up when the sound of Ichigo pounding on the door got louder.

"Rukia, that's private!" Ichigo took a pause and a calming breath, "Come out of the bathroom, Rukia. I won't get mad I promise." The Strawberry's voice had barely been above a whisper.

Rukia sighed, Ichigo sounded sincere with his promise and it was the only way she was going to find out about the dojo. Slowly, Rukia opened the door to Ichigo standing with his arms crossed and a deeper scowl than usual. The orange-haired teen grunted and turned around to walk back into his room.

*Sags from writing* Well, that was short! Honestly, I was planning to make this a one-shot due to it being my first fic. Heck, I'm already working on the second chapter. But then I looked at the word count and decided to compare it to other one-shots and it would have ended up being a very LONG one-shot, it was already over a 1,000 words and I was barely skimming the main plot. I will try to update soon, if my work doesn't totally exhaust me... *sigh*


	2. The Dojo

A/N: Wow! I'm soo blissfully happy that this story, which is my first, has gotten such great reception. It has even gone international O.o and some countries I haven't even heard of! So thanks to those people who had to deal with this story being in English. I also want to apologize that I forgot to translate and edit some stuff in the last chapter, I couldn't figure out how to edit it though and it was already published. I also had some issues with the scene break stuff but that is now fixed.

Special Thanks To: Erstina 13624, Alpecca Ankaa Black, kyuuo, truevampireprincess, Chibi y Hina, and Pure Aqua

Translations: Kenjutsu - art of swords, Chi - in this case fighting spirit, Dojo - martial arts hall, Shoji - Japanese chess, Kamiya kasshin-ryu - Kenjutsu school developed by Karou's father, Tokugawa regime - the previous government before the Meiji era, Fuka-taicho, vice captain, Shinigami - soul reaper, Oyaji - old man, Meiji Era - the time period of Rurouni Kenshin, Taicho - captain, Baka - idiot/stupid

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, Rurouni Kenshin, or most of the translations I actually got them from the books and other fanfic

On with the show...

Once they had returned to the room Ichigo had flopped into the chair at his desk and turned to face Rukia as she shut the door. And they still were in those positions five minutes later, the tension thick as English fog. Rukia didn't dare break the silence for fear that Ichigo would snap. The fuka-taicho could tell that he was in a foul mood from the way his face was devoid of emotion. It was his battle face, the one he got when the enemy was strong enough for him to get serious; it was the face of a man out for the kill.

"Did you look at any of the pictures?" Ichigo's voice was a calm, icy tone. Rukia pressed her lips together; she hadn't realized how private Ichigo was about his life. Still, the strawberry sat, patiently mocking her, as if he already knew that she was in a corner with no escape. _Well, might as well say the truth. Maybe that won't make him so mad at me._

"Yes, I saw some of the photos. They were quite interesting," the midget deadpanned. If Ichigo wanted to play that game she would meet him head to head, "Now I have a question for you. Why does the last picture in the book say your family has a dojo?" At this Ichigo's amber eyes widened, he hadn't expected her to see _that_ picture. It was from when he was young, about a year before his mom died. Masaki had taken him so he could see what their family was like back in the Meiji era which he had been learning about in school at the time.

"Because my family does own a dojo, Rukia. But it belonged to my mom's family so Goat Face decided to keep it but it was too much trouble for him to run the dojo and the clinic. I don't even think Karin and Yuzu know about it, it's been closed for years," Ichigo was quiet. He was silently hoping that would be the end of it, unfortunately the midget had a different idea.

"Where is it?" the Fuka-taicho barked.

"Huh?" Ichigo began to slink further away from Rukia as she threatingly held his maths book.

"The dojo, you moron! Where is the dojo?"

"The older part of town. Why?"

"Let's go there. I want you to show me," Rukia's eyes were obstinate. The orange-head wasn't getting out of this one. Ichigo grunted and headed downstairs, flinging on his jacket before walking out the door.

[SCENE BREAK]

Standing in front of a traditional looking building, Ichigo's forehead was beginning to crinkle like a fry. He couldn't believe Rukia had managed to get him to come to the family dojo, course the noble was excellent at getting what she wanted.

Ichigo's family history wasn't something he was ashamed of. He was proud of what his ancestors did; they had had great intentions, they just hadn't done it by the noblest of deeds. Still, he didn't want anyone to find out, especially Rukia. He had stumbled upon an old letter written by his ancestor and he was shocked at the amount of regret the ancestor had pronounced. It was the least he could do for someone that was family.

Of course, there was another reason as well. Renji had nearly hit the nail on the head when he had asked Ichigo if the Substitute had any further experience in Kenjutsu. The family dojo was where Ichigo had learned how to swing a sword like he did, with a speed that was notorious and an accuracy that was lethal. It was also the place where he learned shogi.

Rukia had finally caught up to him and Ichigo slid the outer doors open, "Welcome to the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu Kenjutsu Dojo," The grounds were over grown and dusty at the same time, but the building itself appeared to be in a well enough condition. _I suppose _he _must still be taking care of it._

"Kasshin-Ryu?" Rukia asked as she walked ahead of Ichigo to look around. The midget had a wary look on her face, as if she were expecting some crazed Samurai ghost to jump out at her and attack. _Course, the residential ghost wasn't crazed, just a bit odd. _

"It's a Kenjutsu style developed by one of my ancestors during the Tokugawa regime. It was based off the philosophy Katsujin-ken: swords that give life," Ichigo answered from the doorway. He knew once he entered that _he _would sense his chi, whatever that was, and come out to greet him if he hadn't already heard Rukia's voice.

"Interesting way to think of a sword," Rukia quipped as she looked at the wooden plaques of all the students.

The Substitute Shinigami rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness, "It's not a widely accepted idea, but it's a nice thought."

"It's ironic, really. Your ancestors had such a strong belief in Katsujin-ken, but you have a rather high fatality rate. Talk about putting shame on the family name?" Rukia laughed. _You have no idea, midget._

"Geez, Rukia, I thought Soul Society was happy I helped out," Ichigo hoped Rukia would want to leave soon; it was getting rather awkward being back at the dojo after being gone for so long. _ Don't worry though, Oyaji. I'll come back soon and we can spar and have a good round of shogi. _

"Hm? What's this a shogi board? Want to play Ichigo?" Rukia pointed to the board which was set up already for a new game. The orange-head shrugged and sat down on the opposite side of Rukia. He just hoped the ghost was out and about; he didn't want explain about him as well.

[SCENE BREAK]

Ichigo and Rukia had been playing for what seemed like minutes but when the violet eyed Shinigami looked at her Chappy watch she was shocked to see that two hours had passed and dusk was creeping in. The bean pole in front of her stretched out tanned limbs with a yawn and smiled lazily at her. _He looks a lot nicer without that stupid scowl on his face; I wish he would smile more often. _

"So, ya ready to head home, Rukia?" Ichigo asked drowsily. _I like his sleepy voice too_. Rukia tinged pink at the thought. She had known the carrot top for over two years now, but it was times like these that reminded her he was not only her good friend but an attractive young man.

"Yes, it would be smart to start heading home. I don't particularly like the idea of going out after dark," the Fuka-taicho replied. She knew that Karakura town was relatively small but she had learned it never hurt to be too cautious.

"Ha-ha, don't worry Ruki, I'll protect you," Ichigo teased. Rukia paused for a moment to wonder if he was serious.

"Che. You need to clean the cobwebs out of your skull, Baka. I can take care of myself just fine," Rukia scoffed. At this the Substitute looked at her with amber eyes; it was a look she had never seen on his face before and it portrayed an emotion she couldn't quite place.

The noble coughed slightly brining Ichigo out of his stupor, "Hm, what? Oh, yeah, let's head home." The pair got up and closed the doors of the dojo behind them before turning in the direction of the Kurosaki Clinic.

"So, who won the game of shoji? I wasn't really paying attention," Ichigo asked, breaking the silence.

"Figures, you would play something without paying attention to who's winning or losing," the midget ridiculed. Ichigo had actually been winning which had surprised her; she was fairly good at the game and often played it with Ukitake-taicho when he was kept to bed rest.

Abruptly, the strawberry nonchalantly slung his arm over Rukia's shoulder pulling her closer into his side where she struggled slightly before accepting the lean, muscular arm. Imperceptibly, the carrot top's scowl relaxed into a slight grin. The pair walked on in comfortable silence to their home.

Did you see that? Did you see that? That was my sad attempt at IchiRuki fluff.

Yay! This is tons longer than the other chapter! Am I truly satisfied with it? No. Do I hope you are? Yes. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I would truly be able to do a weekly update because I worked all week, without really working on the story, and I just got home a couple hours ago from being in the middle of nowhere. (Which was tons of fun 'cause I love camping and the outdoors and southern cooking.) So the ending was sorta' a rush. Course, this whole story is totally going along with the flow because this isn't really planned out. I'm also picking at another idea but I'm not sure about it.. well, whatever. Don't be afraid to PM me or anything with suggestions or questions, etc. Until next time, Otakus!


	3. Spar and a Fall

**A/N: **Hi, readers! Sorry, yes, I realize I'm a bit late for the whole "weekly update" thing. *hides behind fireproof wall from angry readers* In my defense, I had picked up two extra shifts at work that totally left me exhausted and sunburned. But now I am done with work and I will have (sort of) a couple weeks break before school. So now I can work on this more and finish the book I started! Blame the Alex Rider fanfic, it's highly enticing and has tons of sarcasm (it's my weakness). Also sorry for the translations, I lost _all_ of my translation notes.

**Special Thanks:** KingOfTheIceLord, SayoShihoinXKohAyamerei, ladymeloncholy17, The Three Kings, and blackmonkey12

**Translations: **Kimono - traditional japanese dress, Zabuton - japanese floor cushions, Zangetsu - the name of Ichigo's sword, Bokken - japanese wooden sword used for training not to be confused with Shinai please refer to wikipedia to learn more, -kun - modern day used among male students older use is how a superior would address an inferior or to indicate affection

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Bleach or Rurouni Kenshin but I do own this plot... and the world *evil smiley* just kidding.

ONWARDS!

Lying in his bed, Ichigo listened closely as Rukia's breath slowed. _Good she's sleeping_. Despite showing Rukia the Kamiya dojo with no mishaps he was still worried, especially after what happened on their way home.

[FLASHBACK]

_With the carrot top's arm sagging on her shoulder, Rukia turned violet eyes to look up at the bean pole. She didn't know why, but despite Ichigo having taken her to the family dojo she still had her worries. The Fuka-taicho had noticed out of the corner of her eye that Ichigo had been glancing nervously, as if he was expecting someone to jump out. Who? She didn't know, but she was going to find out._

"_Ichigo," Rukia started off innocently, "Why didn't you go inside the dojo?" Ichigo slowed his steps and turned amber to violet._

_Glancing into the distance, he answered, "Hm, my mom was usually the one that took me to play at the dojo; dad was working on getting his license for the clinic. Seeing it again, it brought back a lot of memories, it was bittersweet, ya know?"_

_The couple drifted off into silence, one looking ahead, the other into the past. _

[FLASHBACK END]

Shaking the memory form his mind, Ichigo tossed his sheets off his lean form to reveal he was still wearing his jeans and t-shirt from earlier and got up from the bed. Glancing at the closet he opened his window, jumped, and landed lightly on his feet in the street, all with barely a sound, he turned and walked toward the older part of town.

Noting that the orange-head was gone, Rukia slid open the closet door slipped on her shoes and jacket before making her own exit through the window. She was going to figure out what the Strawberry Baka was up to whether or not it was the last thing she did.

[SCENE BREAK]

After Ichigo arrived at his destination he opened the door and entered the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu dojo. _It really has been a long time since I've come. _Ichigo walked further and stepped into the training hall. The Substitute smiled and turned around at the almost imperceptible footfalls.

"It has been too long, Ichigo-kun. You should visit this one* more often," a shadow reprimanded jokingly. Ichigo always found his way of speech to be the oddest thing, considering what the man's career had been.

"I've been busy. Don't worry; I'll be able to come around more now. I even came tonight for a good, old fashioned sparring match," the teen apologized to the shadow.

"This one has noticed. This one has sensed that your fighting chi has been high since your entrance into high school. But this one is curious to know why you have not come by these past seventeen months when you're fighting chi has been quite low," the shadow questioned. _Che, always the sharp one. _

"It's a long story. I would much rather have a good spar," Ichigo protested.

"This one is a very good listener, Ichigo-kun. A spar can wait," the shadow moved into the moonlight revealing a short, young man with vibrant orange hair in a low ponytail and a cross-shaped scar on his right cheek.

Ichigo sighed, "Whatever you say, Oyaji. " He pulled out two dusty zabuton and plopped down onto one, cross-legged. The other man sat across from him katana at his left side**.

The Vizard took a breath and started on his story about the Winter War. He didn't regret using the Final Getsuga; he had known what the consequences were of using it. Ichigo explained that now to his similar haired companion and said that he had decided to use his new found free time for study and earning some pocket cash for college. If he was honest with himself, though, the real reason he was skirting the man was because he had been ashamed, ashamed at his utter uselessness. He had watched as Inoue, Ishida, and Chad had gone out to slay the hollows, he had even seen his father hunting on occasion though the Shinigami didn't have to know that he kept the ability to see them.

When Ginjou had come along with the other Fullbringers he had thought that he would finally be able to do what he was meant to, protect, but once again he had been stripped of his powers, his uselessness once again rearing its ugly head, mocking him, as if the gift of the Fullbring had just been a cruel tease. Miraculously, Rukia along with the other Shinigami had come; bringing his salvation. The orange haired teen was finally able to become whole again, he had Zangetsu – and the hollow – with who he could protect the ones he loved and cared for.

"Well, that certainly is a tale. Traitors are as bad as a revolution, they are almost the same thing in an aspect," the shorted man stretched out his own muscled limbs as both orange-heads stood up.

"We should start our spar. I want to get some sleep today," Ichigo yawned.

Both swordfighters walked over to the wall where they each grabbed slightly curved daitos. Ichigo's was a deep red oak, while the scared man took one of white oak. Stepping into the center of the hall, one at each end, they nodded at each other before going into their defensive stances.

Rukia couldn't believe her eyes. There had been a person here the entire time Ichigo had taken her to the dojo! She had suppressed her reiatsu to almost nothing, as she had noticed that Ichigo had been starting to get a grasp on his own massive reiatsu lately and had started being able to sense others. The noble had followed the beanpole in the shadows and was currently hiding on top of the roof, looking in through a small skylight.

What shocked her more than the presence of the person though was his appearance, it shocked how much the man and Ichigo looked alike with orange hair, lean muscle, and amber eyes that could just as easily be fire as they could ice. Ichigo though had talked to the man like he was an old friend, one who he could place utter trust upon.

Curious about the man, Rukia closed her eyes blocking out the thumps of wood against wood and reached out to study the stranger's reiatsu. _No way! This man's reiatsu, he's dead! But, wow, there's so much of it, he might be a relative's of Ichigo's. _Shivering against the night chill, Rukia leaned violet eyes closer to the room below her, entranced by the fight.

In Soul Society, Rukia had seen her fair share of fast shunpo-ers, her brother being one of the fastest, but, she could barely keep track of the two fighters, only when they clashed, swords locked together, did she truly she their solid form and caught sight of both their faces, each devoid of emotion, each man was aiming to kill. _It's a good thing their using bokken, although I've heard if you're strong enough you can just as easily kill a man with a bokken as you could with a blade. _

But, what amazed her beyond anything else was the stark fact; Ichigo was still in his human form. Rukia knew what Ichigo looked like when he used shunpo in human form and, in fact, he was a lot slower than he was going right now. _Did Ichigo have this amount of speed from just normal human running?_ She assumed the other man's speed came from such a high reiatsu; if the man was truly Ichigo's relative he might be able to use shunpo instinctively.

Violet orbs tuned to look as there was another crash from the bokken. Ichigo was one defense blocking the white blade with his own darker one. The teen pulled out of the lock taking the advantage of his opponent's balance being off and quickly lashed out, aiming the bokken at the ghost's knees. Ichigo's opponent quickly side-stepped making the blow that would have crushed his knee cap only a glancing hit. The strike had opened Ichigo's guard and the other man struck the teen in the stomach, effectively ending the spar.

The victor pulled away the bokken and crouched down to make sure Ichigo was relatively unharmed, "You have improved, Ichigo-kun, this one believes though that you must work on your balance; you can't depend on your speed and endurance forever," the man said in a lilting voice. Ichigo grunted in response as he sat up, placing a hand tenderly on his ribs.

Rukia sincerely hoped the Substitute was alright and leaned in a bit farther so she could hear him say how injured he really was. That was a bad idea.

A very bad idea.

Rukia hadn't realized how precarious her balance was on the roof and her minor adjustment to move further in and she slipped, falling towards the inside of the training hall, and landing beside two very startled orange-heads.

"R-rukia!" Ichigo spluttered. He had quickly turned his body to look at her and grimaced, he had at least bruised his ribs in the spar, but the other aches would come in the morning.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," muttered the shorter man, holding a hand out to the Fuka-taicho as Ichigo also got up. The ebony haired woman took the hand gratefully and stood up, brushing off her kimono.

"Um, who are you and how do you know Ichigo?" Rukia asked in a strained voice. It was getting increasingly difficult to remain civil, her freaking out usually lead to someone getting hurt. That person was usually Ichigo who was currently holding his side and trying to breathe as lightly as possible.

The man who helped Rukia up glanced at Ichigo who shrugged in silent consent to whatever the scarred man was silently asking him.

The man turned to Rukia, looking her squarely in the eye, "This one is Ichigo's ancestor, Himura Kenshin."

* If you haven't noticed Kenshin refers to himself as "this one". This is because, unfortunately, a lot of important details are lost in translation. In Japanese there are a lot of different ways to address yourself i.e. _Watashi _or _Ora. _The first time I read the Kenshin manga was the VizBig edition, which included an updated, and more accurate, translation and they also did this. And if I have Kenshin say "I" it will probably mean that he is in Hitokiri (assassin) mode and they also do that in the VizBig edition.

** In Japanese sword etiquette which side a swordsman had his blade one is a big deal. If the sword is on their right side it means they offer peace, the opposite is true for the left side. Though in this case I wanted to show Kenshin's readiness for a fight and his paranoia.

So, how did I do? If I was honest, though I planned what would happen in this chapter, I had trouble motivating myself to write it, but then I got an email saying I had a review and I was so happy I finished writing this. In conclusion, reviews make me write and publish faster, so please review.. PLEASE! *big doe eyes*

Don't worry Kenshin fans, I will have Kenshin saying "oro" in no time! Lates!


	4. Beginning and Learning

**Special Thanks:** ChaosZaber, Cinniomon, DemonicPride2001, Flare1412, FlashDevil, GrayHeart, OkamiPrincess, Tatsuhiro, Tear-Stained-Book, animikiikaa, gundam1, jtm21, korrd, kuchikirukia07, Kurofai-fan1, the Duh, Aliinna, Capt. Jack Harkness, DragonWolfStar, Kagome Echizen Fan, Melonsplash, Nightblade888, TheDudeman400, Wheats, Zephyria-lune, , tigerwar, and xxxWhite-Wing13xxx

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Bleach, but I do own this plot and a flat iron!

**OWNWARDS!**

Violet orbs blinked rapidly as Rukia absorbed what she just heard, "W-what? But, how did you not become a hollow or get noticed by Soul Society?" Himura merely shrugged in response.

"Rukia, seriously? Think about it. He has the same high reiatsu as me; he can suppress the urge to become a hollow. Also, when has Soul Society ever been on top of what happens in Karakura? If they were on top of things they would have noticed me _years_ ago," Ichigo answered with crossed arms. He acted as if the answer was so obvious, making Rukia's confusion turn to irritation.

"Baka-yaro! Aizen was influencing the Gotei 13 for kami knows how long. It's not our fault," the fuka-taicho snapped. Ichigo shrugged in response, he knew that Rukia had a point but chose not to acknowledge it.

"Pardon, but this one is a bit confused on the topic of discussion. What is Soul Society and the Gotei 13?" Kenshin interrupted the soon-to-be-brawl.

"Oh? Uh, Soul Society is where people's souls go when they pass on. The Gotei 13 is, like, the army for Soul Society," Rukia delicately explained. She didn't want the man's concentration to slip from hearing the word 'dead' and turn into a Hollow.

"Speaking of passing on, maybe we should go talk to Geta-Boshi about getting Oyaji to Soul Society," Ichigo suggested, taking the opportunity to avoid the wraith of the midget.

"Yes, that is a good plan. Let's go," and with a nod the midget huffed out the door.

"Is she like that often, Ichigo-kun?" Himura asked slipping his sandals on.

Ichigo considered this for a moment, "Nah, usually she kicks me in the shins."

[SCENE BREAK]

The Urahara Shoten squatted in its dusty corner on the older street when the trio knocked on the thin paneled doors waiting for one of the people within to answer.

"Ah! Ichigo-kun, Rukia-kun, what may I help you with tonight?" The namesake of the store said behind his fan. The blonde man stepped into the moonlight turning quick, intelligent eyes to the short red-haired man that stood behind the Shinigami and Vizard.

"Um, maybe we could explain this better inside?" Ichigo rubbed awkwardly at his neck.

"Yes, maybe that would be best," Urahara grinned.

[SCENE BREAK]

"So, if I am to understand this correctly Himura-san here is your ancestor from the Meiji era and he wishes to enter Soul Society without being detected by the Gotei 13?" Urahara summed what had taken Ichigo and Rukia roughly a half hour to explain.

The Shinigami-daiko blinked in surprise, "Uh, yeah, basically. So, think you're up to it?"

"We will have to come up with a fake identity for him."

"Kamiya Shinta, this one would like that name," Himura spoke up. Ichigo laughed slightly and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, It is a pleasure to meet you, Kamiya Shinta," Urahara said with an upturned face.

"So the question is, how do we get Kamiya-san into a district?" Rukia asked. Urahara waved his fan in thought; it was the main dilemma after all.

"Well, we can't have him in any of the really good districts. I think we should try for the middle, at least then there's some resemblance of civility. Maybe you can even keep your sword, ne? If you are anything like Ichigo-kun here I'm sure the Shinigami will eventually try to recruit you so prepare for that," Urahara's plan faded into gibber as the other three took in the main part of the plan.

[SCENE BREAK]

"So, we will have Ichigo-kun, Rukia-kun, and Kamiya-san leave for the 38th district tomorrow at noon?" Urahara concluded as the hours began to wane. The group had decided to get the documentations over with while Kenshin was still there to inform them of anything that they decided to keep truthful. All three nodded their confirmation.

"Ja ne, Geta-boshi," Ichigo called out as they reached the edge of listening range. The response was an awkward toodle-oo and the Vizard sweat-dropped.

"Urahara-san is certainly, ano, interesting?" Himura remarked as the group moved towards the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, where Ichigo was staying the night to help his ancestor prepare.

"You could say that. He takes a bit to get used to and even then he'll throw a bomb in your face just to keep you on your toes. Either that or he's a sadist," Ichigo responded nonchalantly. Rukia nodded in agreement and the trio stopped at the entrance to the dojo.

"I suppose I'll see you both tomorrow? I'll explain to your family that you're staying at a friend's if they ask, Ichigo. Goodnight Kamiya-san," Rukia yawned, the discoveries of the day had been tiring.

"Goodnight, Rukia-dono," Himura nodded as he entered the grounds of the dojo, leaving the two shinigami to themselves.

"Hm, night midget. See you tomorrow," the strawberry smiled. He had turned to follow his ancestor when he felt small, gentle hands tug on the sleeve of his shikaso. He raised an orange eyebrow at the violet eyed girl.

"Ichigo, why don't we stay a few days with Himura-san? You know, to help him get situated. It will be a nice break from hunting hollows as well," the fuka-taicho refused to meet his laughing, caramel eyes and the Vizard took long fingers to her delicate chin so she could gaze at his small grin. _Ichigo's smile really is great._

"Sure, that sounds like a great idea. Maybe you can give me a private tour too, ne?" Ichigo responded and the pale girl nodded. The orange-head released her chin, brushing her short, ebony locks as he brought the hand to his side.

The shingami walked away, forgetting her shunpo, and brought her hand to where Ichigo had held her chin. _His hands are so warm and strong, but they weren't rough._ Rukia reddened in response and hurried her steps.

"You seem awfully close to Rukia-dono, Ichigo. Something this one should know?" Himura smiled slightly as the taller red head walked into the main hall of dojo where two futons were set up.

Ichigo ran his tan hand through his short hair, adding to the mess of the spikes and sighed, "Not really, she's a bit above my level. She's a noble and I'm fairly sure she wouldn't find me worthy of that sort of attention, Oyaji."

"Hm, is that so? Yes, this one knows about the humble beginnings of this family; we are merely warriors, subject to the disagreements of noblemen. That girl, Rukia-dono, she seems like she is above such foolery, she would be good for you," Ichigo's ancestor proteseted. Ichigo took a moment, somber eyes turned to the wiser man before he chuckled darkly, "You will learn eventually, Ichigo-kun, love is the only thing that matters in the end."

"Yeah, okay, oyaji." The strawberry roughly clapped the older man on the back before thumping heavily onto his futon.

"Oro, this one forgets sometimes how inexperienced you really are sometimes, Ichigo-kun. Love is a thing that takes time to understand, ne, Karou-chan?" He could almost hear the replying laugh on the breeze.

[CHAPTER END]

**A/N:** So, I know it's been awhile and I want to thank all of you so much for sticking with this undeserving author! I also finally finished reading Rurouni Kenshin, yeah I know shame on me, and I realized I didn't exactly describe him correctly, I said he had long hair, but I've worked that into the plot so no worries. I also got Kenshin to say "oro", Yay! I know this chappy was sorta' short but I felt I had put this off long enough so here it is! Lates!


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